Jamiu Badmos, head of Quality, Safety, Health and Environment, Ikeja Electric Plc, warns Nigerians not to build or carry out social and economic activities under power lines

TO ensure safety of lives, Ikeja Electric Plc has cautioned the public against building structures and engaging in social and economic activities under power lines. The company said the specific clearance/distance which the public must maintain away from a 33/11KV lines is 5.5 metres (20ft) on both sides; for 132KV lines, the distance must be 15 meters (50ft) on both sides and 330KV lines must have a clearance of 25meters (60ft) on both sides.

Jamiu Badmos, head of quality, safety, health and environment, Ikeja Electric, explained that carrying out social and economic activities under power lines exposes people to danger, leading to the risk of electrocution. According to him, fatality within the energy sector can be prevented if the public religiously adhere to precautions and avoid activities close to electrical installations.

“As a responsible service provider, we are aware of our obligation to ensure that every resident within our network is kept safe, especially bearing in mind the hazardous nature of electricity so we are using this medium to remind the public that electrical installations are harmful and must be avoided as much as is possible. Our appeal to customers to avoid activities under power lines must be taken seriously, especially as the integrity of old cables cannot always be guaranteed,” he said.

Badmos revealed that even with the huge resources IE has spent on enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the public on inherent dangers of life-threatening activities, some of the people have remained adamant. He further called for the intervention of the government and relevant stakeholders in stemming this ugly development by declaring activities under power line as illegal and moving people and markets away from the danger spots to save lives and properties.

He added that customers could report cases of illegal structures under power lines, illegal connections and vandalism of equipment through Ikeja Electric customer care help lines numbers: 01-4483900, 0700-0-2255-43, 070-7000-250 or send mail via customercare@ikejaelectric.com.

As a company that places high priority to safety in line with its quality, health, safety and environment policy, IE has consistently championed initiatives that entrenches the culture of safety to ensure no life of staff, contractors or customers is lost through electrocution.

– Jan. 25, 2019 @ 11:43 GMT |